Running Against the Wind
by Zephyira
Summary: Rayflo and Charley are swept up into a deadly fight for their lives as the two investigate a number of violent Vampire incidents that have occurred in a small town that is far more than it appears to be. Rated T for possible Gore and Violence
1. The Beggining of a Problem

**The Beginning of a Problem**

For the fifth time in a week Charley finds himself checking his computer for the latest requests for Vampire executions. There are three new requests since last night.

"What the…What's going on?" He mutters.

Plopping down in the seat he skims over the requests. All are for highly dangerous vampires centered on the U.S.A.'s Pacific coast. Many of the other recent requests have come from along the coast as well, specifically in a small fishing town.

He leans back in his chair and contemplates this. There's no real reason for such a sudden outburst, Vampire activities on the coast have always been low because of their fear for water. For so many to suddenly pop up it can only be one thing…the Vassalord drug has found its way there. And it's making a killing.

Literally.

Charley is so lost in thought he doesn't hear Rayflo enter the room. The older Vampire takes his chance, creeping slowly and quietly up on the unsuspecting man.

"Cherrryyy!" He shouts, wrapping his arms tightly around him.

Charley nearly jumps out of his skin, bucking in fear but Rayflo holds him down.

"Did I scare you, Cherry?" He chuckles, wrapping his arms tighter around the man.

"Could you please not do that, I'm trying to work."

Rayflo laughs, his freshly washed hair still dripping.

"So, what's going on here?" He points to the screen.

"Nothing. Would you please get off me? You're soaking wet!"  
>Rayflo pulls back but ends up resting his chin on top of Charley's head which isn't much of an improvement but he doesn't stop him.<p>

"Come on, where are you going now? I'll be so sad if its somewhere far away like last time. Evil Vatican sending my poor Cherry all alone to a strange land!" He wails, wrapping his arms around Charley's head and squeezing him tight.

"You're choking me! And it's none of your business where I go!"

He pries the vampire's arms away from his neck and takes a deep breath

"So, what's the mission? Either way I'm going to find out." He persists, leaning on the back of his chair and peering over his shoulder.

"I'd prefer you figure it out once I'm gone but…" Charley averts his eyes and finds staring at the wall to be simply fascinating.

Rayflo grins.

"But my little Cherry would be so lonely without me!"

"No I wouldn't, you're a pain to travel to travel with. Besides, it's close by. It's only on the West Coast, in a town called Argyle. There have been enormous amounts of Vampiric activity in the region. I'm leaving in the morning."

"I'm coming!"

"No your not!"  
>"Says you."<p>

"Says the person paying for the flight ticket. As I recall you got sick of sitting in cargo." Charley growls  
>"Well if it's the only way to be with Cherry I'll manage."<p>

He frowns at the Vampire who simply smiles all too happily back at him.

"And besides, I know the Vatican is paying for it so you just write me off as luggage anyway."

"I'm not going to be gone that long…It's only a two hour flight away."

"Long enough for you to get hungry and in trouble." Rayflo teases.

"That's it, you're not coming." Charley says.

"Noooo! Let me come, Cherrrry!" Rayflo cries, throwing himself at the man and latching on like a leech.

He struggles against him for a little bit but his defences are broken and he knows it.

"Fine, you can come. But…"  
>Rayflo's face lights up, eager for rules to break. Charley just stares at him.<p>

"…you have to behave."

"What am I? Your pet?" Rayflo questions but is happy none the less.

* * *

><p>Charley gets the usual stares as he enters the hotel lobby, carrying the massive coffin on his back with his coffin carrier. Two maids and a bellboy stare, stunned and rather confused. Sacra bounds along beside him, cords dragging on the ground as she weaves between the people. Altogether they look a very odd sight and probably even more so considering the small town they're now in. The young man at the front desk manages to reign in his composure before Charley gets there.<p>

"I have a reservation for-"

_Tap tap_

Charley stiffens and the man's eyes widen.

_Tap tap_

Their eyes gravitate to the coffin, naturally.

"Sir…the hotel has a policy against…pets.

"Don't worry, this-"

_Tap tap_

Charley kicks the coffin with the back of his heel. There is a muffled cry then all is silent.

"-Isn't a pet."

"Sir-" The man says uncertainly.

With practiced hands, Charley slides a couple hundred dollar bills across the table and under the man's hand.

"This is official business. I'd like to get on with it as soon as possible.

"Y-yes, of course, Sir."

The money disappears into his pocket end everything goes smoothly. Charley sends his thanks to heaven even though it's slightly immoral but if you have to bribe someone to destroy a few vampires, so be it God.

Up in the room Scara gives a bark and jumps up on the bed. Charley drops the coffin with a thunderous thud. Rayflo shouts out and pounds on the lid.

"Let me out, Cherry! Don't just go throwing me around!"

"Why can't you just be quiet for once? I told you you're impossible to travel with and we're already noticeable enough without labelling me the crazy person brining a dead body into a hotel."

"Yeah, I was clearly dead. That was why I was tap-ing!"

"You owe me $400 dollars when you come out of there." Charley says as he pulls the security pins to let the Vampire out.

"Then maybe I just won't come out." Is his muffled reply.

"You're coming out of there now!" Charley yells and tackles the coffin. He tries to pry the lid off but somehow the vampire inside manages to hold on.

"No!"

"Yes!"

A malicious grin crosses Rayflo's face.

"Fine."

He lets go. The lid suddenly gives and Charley goes flying back with a shout and sprawls on the bed. Quiet as a mouse Rayflo makes a run for the door.

"No you don't!"

Charley leaps up and snatches Rayflo's hair before he manages to escape out the door.

"Get…back here!" He grunts, reeling the vampire back in.

"Where would you go anyway?"

"Away from here!" Rayflo shouts, fighting Charley as he tries to pin him down.

Rayflo writhes and squirms, just slippery enough that Charley can't hold him down.

Charley's hands catch one of Rayflo's wrists but he squeals and makes a dive for the coffin. Charley sees his chance, grabs the lid and slams it down, trapping the vampire inside.

He takes several deep breaths, trying to calm down from the sudden battle when he hears his Master's voice.

"Well, make up your mind Cherry! Do you want me in the coffin or out?"

Realizing that once again his Master has led him in circles draws an exasperated sigh from him. He slides the lid to the side a bit so Rayflo can only peer out. He looks down at him.

"Why do you always have to do that?"

"Because I love to see a blushing Cherry."

"I'm not blushing. I'm red with anger!"

Charley sighs, the fight draining out of him as he sits down on the coffin lid. A stab of pain drives through his chest and his heart races. His breath comes quicker and he has to fight to stay calm. Air comes as a rasping pull on his burning throat.

Rayflo peers up concernedly at him. He pulls his sleeve down and sticks his arm up through the hole.

"Here."

Charley glances at the proffered arm but turns away, disgust eating away at him. It's only been two weeks. It used to be so easy to go a month before feeling the pangs of thirst but now two weeks is his max. It's pitiful, at this rate he'll never be good enough to get into heaven. Not with this horrible, impure addiction.

Rayflo senses his hesitation so he pushes his head arms and shoulders through the hole.

"Chris, don't fight hunger. It's a losing battle. And…" He peters out and looks away.

He wants to tell him it's all right. But even if he did say the words Chris would never believe him, not as he is now. The look on Chris' face is so sad and pathetic though. You'd never guess from the vulnerable look he has that he's a dangerous vampire hunter. But then again Rayflo has never really seen him as a Hunter. Some part of him will forever see the man in front of him as a little, starving kid on a battle field, something you have to take care of.

If only he were as easy to take care of as a kid is, Rayflo laments.

"Fine, don't eat. See if I care." He says, getting all defensive as he curls back down into his coffin.

Charley gets up and opens the curtains. The sun is just setting behind the tree covered hills, lighting up the old town eerily and somehow anciently.

"Master, it's almost dark. Are you going out?"

Rayflo pushes out of his coffin and stands straight, working the kinks out of his back. Doesn't matter how old you get things still get stiff.

"'Course I'm going out. You locked me in a box for the better part of a day. I'm dying to check this town out. I'll give it to you though; you actually invested in a better lock."

Charley gives a wane smile.

"I have a feeling you'll be a little disappointed." He says, glancing back at the old fashioned fishing town out the window. He can't imagine the playboy Vampire fitting in.

"We'll see about that." He laughs, launching himself out the window and transforming into a swarm of bats. He waves before his arm breaks down into eight black bats.

Charley watches as the dark fluttering shapes disappear down into the street. A pang of hunger hits him, doubling him over with a gasp. He clutches the window still till it passes. Sacra whines form her spot on the bed.

"I'm fine." He growls, hand knotted in his shirt over his heart.

There's nothing left to do but get some much needed rest. Traveling is hard on humans but for Vampires it's twice as bad. You can have an immortal body and live for centuries but get queasy from one day of travel. Clawing his way to the bed and crawling on it he collapses next to Sacra. He doesn't even get around to turning off the light. His stomach growls as he closes his weary eyes, ignoring the monster trying to eat him from the inside out.

Sacra whines again and curls up next to him, nudging under one arm. He draws the dog close to him, clinging to the warmth he's so desperate to feel. As exhausted sleep comes for him he feels a familiar stab of worry for his Master but it disappears into the abyss. The world seems to fade and so does all his fear and worry.


	2. Silver & Black Ink

Rayflo flies through the night, descending from the hotel perched above the town. The midnight black bats whip through the streets till they find a nice dark alley to gather in. Rayflo emerges from the swarm, hair blowing haphazardly in the warm wind, shirt snapping at his skin. He glances back up at the hotel, trying to see through the walls to Chris. Unfortunately, he's not quite that gifted. He dispels his negative mood and tires to forget as he strolls out of the alley and down the street. Chris will just have to wait till he gets back if he wants to feed. Stuffing his hands in his pockets he leaves the hotel behind but he can't entirely drag his thoughts away from Chris.

As he walks Rayflo is surprised to find he feels perfectly at home in this old fashioned little town. The buildings all have an old feel, built of brick and plank wood they look like they came right out of the 18th century. Even though he's grown accustomed to the modern world and all its ways there will always be something about the past he will never really be able to shake off.

The streets are more or less disserted this late at night but there are a few people roaming around, though most are practically running to get to their destinations. Their heads are bowed, refusing to look anywhere other than straight ahead of them. This is probably a good thing though. A predator gauges its prey by the look in its eye.

Rayflo passes several taverns, warmth and laughter spilling from their open doorways. He's tempted to go in but it would be against all his better judgments. He hasn't had a drink in a while and even though his thirst is only mild it wouldn't be a good idea. It never used to bother him to lure some poor sucker out into a back alley for a decent meal, but nowadays he can't bring himself to do it. Maybe its Charley's influence or maybe he has just out grown such behaviour, though the former is far more likely. And anyway, he's not really in the mood to hang around humans right now.

He leaves behind the lights and sounds for the quieter shops, the kind that only runs in the daylight. He peers in a few windows, admiring a cute little parakeet that sleeps peacefully in his cage behind the glass. Everything still has the rustic feel, even this far into the town. It's like walking down a Victorian era street. It's the weirdest feeling.

Even though many stores that are full there's a lot that have been boarded up, smashed windows and doors covered with sheets of plywood. /The town seems to be having a bit of trouble.

A sharp bang catches his attention. He looks down the street to see golden light splashing out onto the street from a shop up ahead. A dark figure darts out and quickly shuts the door before racing down the street. Even in the dim lighting he can see the figure motoring towards him is a woman, long hair blustering about in the wind. Her head is down and she's clearing not looking where she's going.

As she gets closer an uneasy feeling washes over Rayflo. All Vampires have heightened perception compared to normal humans. Vibes that people give off are very good indicators of that person's intention. Just as he can sense other Vampires he can sense a Hunters presence or if someone is drunk. Anything that alters the psyche or produces a strong emotion can be sensed by an experienced Vampire. It's something of a survival instinct. And that's what this woman's vibe is, a strange, unstable feeling, like she's drunk but there's something else there. Maybe drugs, they will screw with you too.

He stops and watches the woman warily as she comes. When she's only a couple meters away she finally looks up.

Their eyes meet.

Rayflo catches his breath. Her black mop of hair covers half her face and the rest is obscured by a myriad of spiky metal pieces that jut like fish hooks from her skin. But that's not even the strangest thing about her or what captures his attention.

It's her eyes. They are deep pools of inky blackness, devoid of a soul almost. Nothing registers in her eyes as she looks at him but she stops. Rayflo doesn't want to hang around any longer, because even though he's a Vampire he's all too aware that he's not the scariest creature of the night lurking out there. She could be possessed by a demon or something equally frightening. He walks by her, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

"Wait." She slurs and reaches out.

Rayflo steps away from her grasp but she still reaches out.

"Go. Go to…"

She points mindlessly down the street from where she came, hand waving up and down.

"Go…Go there."

She looks around, confused with herself for a moment before her eyes trail back to Rayflo. She hisses angrily then whips around and starts running away. Rayflo is left looking after her till she disappears in the darkness. Confused, he glances back to where she emerged from. He feels his curiosity flare up in him and when that happens he has no hope of ignoring it.

It can't hurt to look can it?

The store front is stranger looking than most. A board is nailed above the door. Painted in bold but shaky letters is the name, 'The Inn.' Their creativity knows no bounds. There are no windows, just the one very old door. Rayflo shrugs and decides to dive in head first, flinging the door open. The sudden bright light blinds him temporarily as he steps in.

The place is like how old Irish drinking pubs used to be, very simple and plain. It's a boring room, crowded with tables and stools that look like they've seen better days. Along one wall is the most beaten up bar top he's ever seen. Jars and high necked wine bottles sit delicately on a shelf behind the bar. All of them look in rough shape, chipped, a dusty couple canning jars among them. But there's something fishy about all of them. None of them bear a label and all are full of a thick red liquid. An unmistakable smell hits his nose a second later.

Blood.

Chris claims he can't smell the difference in any blood aside from his Master's but Rayflo is a little more perceptive, as most normal Vampires are but that generally only comes with experience. This is a Vampire Bar.

As he gingerly steps over the threshold he notices how the air saturated with the scent of many different bloods. It reminds him of a battle field where all sorts of blood is spilt, be it an old man's or a little girl's. The one clearly recognizable scent though, is that of very young children, from babies he'd guess. Rayflo feels a stab of guilt that he can recognize such a smell from the many times he's smelled it and the few times he's tasted it.

Drawing his attention away from the fascinating air, he focuses on the people filling the bar. The bloody smell almost masks their own equally appalling odour.

They all smell something like Vampires but nothing in a normal sense. There's something…off about them. He brushes by a woman. She nearly leaps out of her skin and jumps back. The group she's with all take a giant step back. Their sudden and violent movement causes Rayflo to back away as well. All of their eyes are on him, pure black pools of ink without a sparkle of life, just like the woman from the street. They eye him as if he were a wolf among sheep.

"Uh…good evening?"

They just stare, all consumed with him.

"Okay, uh, well, I'll go now."

The Vampires continue to stare blankly as he walks away, glancing nervously back.

Rayflo has been to Vampire-only bars before and many seedy ones at that but the ominous vibes in this place are unbelievable. Though there is some talking its in deep, low whispers. And everyone's eyes are black and dilated, like a druggie on a high, which even for a Vampire that's not normal. But just as there are human races there are also Vampire races, different people possessing distinctive traits. Transylvanian Vampires are inclined to have pointy ears while Mongolian Vamps have a high tolerance for the sun. But of all the Vampires he's ever encountered he would have to say he's never seen anything quite like these ones before.

And this is a lot of Vampires for such a small town.

There's got to be a good fifty Vampires packed into the room, sipping at drinks or sitting sullenly at tables. This place is many things but the one thing it isn't is 'fun.' Or even comfortable for that matter.

Rayflo feels eyes against his back so he turns to see, ready for a fight. But all that greets him is a man, soulless eyes staring holes in the back of his head.

"Hey there." Rayflo says, trying desperately to strike up a conversation…or at least get a word out of one of these guys.

The man just stares, mystified, looking him up and down but specifically staring at his eyes.

Rayflo sighs.

"Does anyone around here talk? At all?"

Shaking his head the man fumbles in his pocket and pulls out a small sealed plastic bag. The first thing that crosses Rayflo's mind is that he was right in it being drugs that has got these guys looking like this. The man presses the small packet into his hands and closes his fingers over it.  
>"What is it?" Rayflo asks, inspecting the pale pink pills.<p>

The man tries to form words, looking up at the ceiling as if it has the answer.

"Take. Help you." He slurs and gets up.

He drifts away in a trance to the other side of the bar, like a dandelion seed in the wind. Or a man with the attention span of a gnat. Rayflo watches him suspiciously but he seems to have completely forgotten him. He gives the baggie one last look before stuffing it in his pocket. If anything it might help Chris with his investigation here. The human taverns are staring to look pretty good compared to this joint.

Looking around Rayflo feels his heart give a twinge. The place is half dead, so boring with nothing happening at all. He didn't come out to hang around with some messed up Vampires, he wants to have some fun.

"Well, I'm hitting the street." He mutters to no one but himself.

Chris was right, he is disappointed by this lack lustre town.

There's a commotion out on the street, the muffled sound of stomping boots echoing oddly around the room.

The door suddenly caves in with a mighty splintering and a bang. Four men charge through the door, massive rifles and hand guns clutched in their hands.

"Die, you fucking Vampires! Die!" The one at the front shouts.

Four guns are raised in unison. The barrel of one draws level with Rayflo's line of sight. His legs tense and he dives as fire spits out of the gaping black hole.

The man next to Rayflo collapses with a guttural cry. He stumbles back and ducks under the bar and rolls to safety. Adrenaline is pumping through his veins as he huddles there, screams and more shooting and shouting filling the air.

"Goddamnit." He mutters.

He's about to get on his hands and knees and crawl to where he can see when a sudden burning in his chest forces him back to the ground. He gasps and looks down at his chest. Right next to his heart is a smoking hole with blood pouring out of it. He's shocked as he watches his flesh burn and blood gush out. The pain builds in his chest like a bomb. Breathing suddenly becomes almost impossible, each breath a struggle. The world's noise seems to disappear and is replaced with a sharp ringing and the faltering beat of his heart. He collapses with a dull thud back to the floor.

"Shit." He curses into the floorboards.

* * *

><p>Charley's eyes snap open and he lurches up. Sacra leaps up and barks at her Master's sudden movement, looking for trouble. His hands fly to his chest and clasp over his heart. It burns, like he's been shot. Gasping for breath and he looks at his chest and tentatively feels over his heart. There's no hole, no blood. The sudden pain gone as quickly as it came. But it felt so real, like someone drove a red hot poker straight through him.<p>

Chest heaving, he slowly regains his composure.

"Was that a…dream?" He mutters aloud.

A chilly breeze blows through the open window and sends bone chilling shivers up his spine. He kicks his shoes off and dives under the covers. But even as he pulls the warm comforter around him his heart is still racing and his mind won't quiet down.

After tossing and turning for ten minutes he gets up and opens the curtains. It's still dark out, the middle of the night. Charley leans out the window to get a better look at the town below. Only a few lights shine feebly from behind curtains, other than that the town is shrouded in black. Everything looks fine. The wind carries the distant sound of drunken laughter, the ocean crashing against the beach and the sharp calls of seagulls. But he can't shake the feeling of trouble, then again he always gets this feeling when his Master is away. Does the man have to be so unpredictable? Charley sighs and leans against the sill, letting the cold wind wash over him. He listens carefully to all the small town noises. This place lacks all of the city's hustle and bustle and the night sounds he's come to associate with the immoral and sordid. Like the sounds of hookers trying to pick up someone, the honk of horns and quiet padding of foot steps as someone makes their way home in the dark. All of these sounds are gone, replaced with more natural sounds.

As he listens he tries to calm his heart down enough to return to the warmth of the covers but can't seem to drag himself away. It reminds him of long ago when he was just a fledgling. He and Master stayed in a sea side town like this one. The experience nearly killed him and surely traumatized the elder Vampire but he can't help but associate these sounds with it. After a while he realizes and accepts that sleep has abandoned him and won't be coming back. He drags a chair to the window, leans back and waits.

* * *

><p>Rayflo lies there, gasping for breath. The ringing subsides and is replaced by the methodical clumping of boots on the wooden floor. An indistinct voice mutters something followed by an ear splitting bang. Rayflo flinches and even that small action hurts like hell. Something thrashes on the floor and gives a strangled cry before all falls silent. The clumping starts getting louder. He tries to hide himself further under the bar.<p>

He manages to crawl to his elbows just as the man rounds the corner. He would look up but at that moment blood fills his mouth and he coughs. It pools on the floor in alarming amounts, running between his fingers and under his palms.

"Well well, there's on little sucker left alive." A gruff but heavily accented voice snarls. A gun cocks and Rayflo's head snaps up, eyes widening to epic proportions as the gun is shoved against his forehead.

This is bloody it, he realizes with something like horror but also acceptance. The one thing he regrets is not saying goodbye. Chris will be devastated. His Vassal's face flashes before his minds eye one last time. Rayflo looks into the Hunter's, savouring these final moments of life. His heart pounds furiously and his wounds burn but he tries to ignore it all and just reflect, trying to not cough. Got to go out with a little dignity, he thinks.

Suddenly the Hunter's own eyes widen in shock.

"Oh dear god." He whispers. His hands shake and his gun clatters to the ground.

Rayflo tries to heave a gasp of air but ends up heaving more blood onto the floor.

"Oh my God! I shot a human!" He wails. "Don't worry, I'll go get help! Stay here!"

_I'm not a human._ Rayflo protest silently, wondering what he could possibly mean by that.

All he knows is he's got to get out of here. The silver bullet is wedged against the side of his ribs under his arm, burning a hole in him and anchoring him in human form. The damn bullet cut a burning trial through his lung, barley missing his aorta to lodge up against his side rib. If that little metal ball had been two millimetres to the right he would have been a dead man. But he just might end up that way none the less. The wound won't fully heal till he gets that bullet out.

He crawls to his knees with great difficulty, retching up at least two bucketfuls of blood doing so, and grabs the bar ledge to hauls himself up.

Even in his pain filled haze he's shocked at the scene before him. The floor is littered with bodies, blood spilt like water, staining the floor boards a permanent red with the toxic Vampire blood. But even so, there's not as many bodies as there were Vampires just a minute or two ago. Some must have escaped, he reasons.

Whoever the murderers were that caused this, they're gone now, though one seems to have made his final stand here. A corpse clutching a gun is bent over a table, a couple Vampire bodies piled on top of him. Rayflo chuckles weakly and immediately regrets it.

His mind switches to survival mode, contemplating and running various scenarios quickly through his head. The pain is so intense. The slightest movement causes blood to gush from his chest like a fountain. The silver residue along the wound and the lack of fresh blood is delaying his healing abilities. It's a Catch-22. The more blood he loses the more his thirst grows and the less his healing abilities work.

"Goddamnit, goddamnit." He mutters.

Clamping one hand over the hole in his chest, he stumbles for the door.


	3. One Chance

**One Chance**

Night's black cloak covers the small town, shrouding its secrets and deceptions well. Not a single person showed up after the shots where fired, if anything more people locked their doors and pulled their curtains shut. The local police force even stayed away.

Rayflo stumbles down the street, resting against a shop front or lamp post occasionally to catch his faltering breath. He's panting, every step is a laborious and painful task. His hand flutters weakly over his heart, blood cascading down his chest. The wound has closed a little but blood still oozes from it faster than it should.

Rayflo glances down and is not unduly surprised to find his chest slick, his shirt and pants drenched beet red with blood. If it didn't hurt so goddamn much he wouldn't even be able to tell where the wound is.

He tries to distract himself from the pain, playing a little game in his mind about how Cherry will react when he comes home. Will he be happy to see him again? Maybe he'll have that desperate, pathetic look on his face like he usually does. Surely he'll be hungry, he'll need to be fed. The smell of his blood will probably drive him crazy but that'd be funny to watch.

Anything with Cherry is fun.

A weak smile curls his lips but it doesn't last long before he's dragged back down to the burning weight in his chest.

"Wait for me, Chris. I'm almost there. Please…wait."

He trudges on, not entirely sure he'll make it…but he knows he has to, if not for himself than for Chris. That damn Hunter made a mistake in not shooting him and by God he's going to use it, even if it only means he'll get to be with Chris a second longer.

One second longer. Is that too much to ask?

* * *

><p>Still staked out by the window Charley can hear the distant sound of gunshots. He peers out into the night. He can hear sounds but he's not entirely sure what they are. It sounds like an animal screaming. Do they hunt in the woods at night around here? That's a dangerous practice anywhere much more so where Vampires roam unchecked.<p>

Charley tries to shake his uneasiness at it all but he can't get rid of it no matter what he does just sitting there.

"This is pathetic." He murmurs, getting up and reaching for his coat.

Maybe some fresh night air will help.

Outside he stands in the middle of the street by the front door, watching a distant road carry the occasional red lights of a car across the night cloaked mountains. Sacra pokes around, putting her head to the sky every once and awhile but not raising the alarm. If something was amiss the cyborg dog would know. The Vampire tries to let this reassure him that nothing is wrong, if there was she'd know. He closes his eyes and breathes deep. The cool night air carries a fresh ocean breeze and…something very familiar. He breathes deep again, filtering out the smell of wet sand and decaying wood.

The faint tangy scent strikes a cord deep in him, one that only a Vampire can recognize.

Blood. The warm, sickly sweet smell of spilt blood.

"Master's blood." He realizes with a jolt.

His head whips back and forth, looking up and down the street. Sacra picks up on her Master's concern and seeks out the scent but it's gone as quickly as it came. For a moment he believes he must be imagining it in his worried state. It's even possible for a cyborg to hallucinate.

"Can you smell it girl or am I just imagining it?"

She whines a high pitched, sad sound, running in circles trying to catch the scent again. The wind picks up and the smell suddenly assaults him like a battering ram. Charley realizes he's not dreaming it but the breeze is carrying it away.

Sacra suddenly leaps forward, barking urgently. She tears off down the sidewalk, into the dark.

"Sacra!"

Even though its pitch black out he can still see well, his Vampiric eyes designed for this. He sees her darting towards something further away. The dark shape stumbles and lurches through the night.

He hears a voice weakly call out his name.

"Ch…ris?"

"Master!" He shouts and tears towards the figure.

Rayflo's legs finally buckle and he goes crashing to the ground with a muffled cry.

Charley falls to his knees and picks the fallen Vampire up.

"Master! What happe-"

His hand brushes over the gaping wound and comes away dripping with blood. The pungent yet ridiculously strong odour assaults his senses, near causing his brain to overload. His hunger comes raging back but that's the least of what he feels. His Master is injured, there's so much blood everywhere, what happened? His limbs freeze, clutching Rayflo to him. A warm spot grows on his chest where the Vampire's blood soaks through his clothes.

Thankfully, the robotic-half of him can still function. He shoves everything aside and focuses.

"Come on, let's get you back upstairs."

Chris clamps his hand over the wound and slings Rayflo's arm over his shoulders, hauling him inside. Mercifully, the receptionist is looking the other way.

"Hurry, Chris." Rayflo gasps, fingers digging into his shoulder.

"I am, I am." He whispers back hurriedly, struggling to not further hurt the already terribly injured man but also keep his fears at bay, which is proving difficult

"Sir, are you okay?"  
>Charley's head whips around see a woman dressed in a maid's uniform come up behind them. Her young eyes are concerned as she peers at them.<p>

"Uh, no we're fine. He had one too many drinks. Come on, now."

He motors towards the elevator as quickly as he can. Rayflo struggles to stand as upright as possible. Unfortunately, that is little more than what the hunch back of Notre-Dame could manage. Once inside, he shields his master's body from the maid's sight until the doors close. Even as they do so she's still staring at them concernedly.

Rayflo slumps against Charley, trembling slightly. Chris holds him tight.

"Hang on, Master. We're almost there."

He tries to nod but he's just barely clinging to consciousness. Charley tries to draw strength and believe his own words but they sound hollow and dry to him.

When the elevator lets them off Charley is all but dragging Rayflo down the hall, worse than a dead weight. Fear works its way through the barrier he has built and invades his mind.

What if it's already too late? There's so much blood, and his heart, what if he doesn't even have a chance? What if this is an exercise in futility? What if there is no hope but he won't know that until it's too late.

And he'll have to watch him die. The very thought nearly cause him to seize up, eyes prickling with tears. He bites his lip and shoves away all the unhelpful thoughts and concentrates only on helping Rayflo but this is easier said than done. The fear seems to have taken up a permanent residence inside his head. After getting into the room he hauls the unconscious Vampire onto the bed. Blood drips onto the carpet, leaving a trail of gore from where thy came.

Blood, there's blood everywhere. He's covered in it. It permeates the air, so strong and uncontrolled. The scent aggravates his hunger and terrifies him at the same time. Snagging a towel from the bathroom he begins to wipe away the excess blood, trying to find where the wound is.

His heart sinks when he finds it right over his heart. He gingerly touches it. Rayflo flinches and groans. His chest is just barely rising, each breath a little gasp.

"Why isn't it closing?" Charley asks himself.

Charley had seen the Vampire heal from countless wounds, even his own powers are exceptionally fast. It's such a small wound, as long as it didn't hit his heart, it should start healing itself instantly. And if it did hit his heart he'd already be dead, so what's wrong?

Rayflo's eyes flutter and he gives a pain filled gasp. Glazed eyes open and wander till they find Charley's.

"Chris." He breathes.

"Master, what happened? Why aren't you healing?"

"Shot. Silver…in the bullet."

"Silver." Charley whispers.

When shot with silver, even if it doesn't hit the heart it can cause serious poisoning in a Vampire, the seriousness amplified or decreased by the proximity to the heart.

This is way too close. There will be poisoning for sure. Charley suddenly realizes there is no blood on his back and no exit wound that he saw. The bullet must still be inside of him.

"It's…here."

Rayflo brings one shaky hand up to rest on the side of his ribs. Charley runs his fingers over where he points. He can feel an unnatural nub stick out against the normal flow of his rib bones. Rayflo flinches at the minor touch.

"You're…going to have to…cut it out." He rasps.

"With what?" Charley asks, slightly horrified.

He's a Vampire Hunter, not a surgeon!

"Wasn't a …knife sent up with…dinner?"

"It's a steak knife!" Charley almost wails.

"It'll…have to do."

Rayflo weakly grasps his arm.

"Hurry, Chris."

From the weary and pained look on his Master's face and the fact he used his real name means he has no time to be stalling yet he can't really help it. It's a steak knife for God's sake, not a scalpel!

Charley crosses the room, gingerly picking up the knife and glancing back at his Master. It's been so long since he's felt silver's nasty sting. He can only imagine the pain Rayflo's in. This isn't a time to be hesitating.

"God, please…" He mutters, rummaging in this bag and digging out a pair of tweezers he brought with him. He's going to need them.

Once again kneeling on the carpet he mentally prepares himself for what he has to do. He can't take too long though, this is life and death here.

He presses the cold metal tip over where he prays is right above the bullet. He doesn't want to have to cut into him more than once.

Once is already seeming like too much.

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes (probably not the best option in retrospect but he really can't deal with it any other way) and pushes the blade in. Rayflo gulps a breath but stops short, the pain blinding him temporarily.

Charley bites his lip and as gently as he can possibly be, he cuts down. Now if you have absolutely any knowledge of what a steak knife is used for no one in there right mind would attempt to use it for surgery, as the main motion involved is hacking and the last thing Charley wants to do is cause his Master anymore unnecessary pain, but God, what else is he supposed to do?

Rayflo's skin parts easily for the sharp metal but it's too much. On top of the burning hole in his chest, the weakness from blood loss and the red hot bullet in his side, this added stress is just too much for him to take. His body overloads on pain and he passes out. Charley feels his body go limp and mentally pressures himself to hurry.

When the incision is as long as his pinkie finger he pulls out the knife and pinches the sides together. Rayflo jerks reflexively but doesn't awaken. A puff of smoke escapes the wound to reveal the small silver sphere tucked inside, the flesh around it blackened and charred. A groan of revulsion escapes Charley's lips as the putrid smell of scorched living flesh hits his nose. Its something he hasn't smelled in a very long time. Rayflo groans even in his unconscious state, the pain penetrating even that one merciful veil.

"Hold on, Master." Charley whispers.

He brings the tweezers up to the wound and as carefully as possible grabs the bullet without touching anything else. The tweezers slip, unable to get a grip on the slick bloody metal. He grits his teeth and tries again and again, each time his heart sinking lower as blood pours from the wound.

Finally, he manages to get a grip on the thing but not without pushing the tweezers in deep and hearing an agonized cry from Rayflo.

"I got it!" He exclaims as the small silver bullet emerges smoking from the wound. He sets the toxic piece of metal on the night stand and leans over Rayflo, gripping his shoulders and gently shaking him awake.

"Master, Master wake up, you can't sleep yet."

His eyes open slowly, glazed, bloodshot and pain filled.

"Is it over?" He asks, voice hoarse.

"Yes, yes. You brought blood with you, right?"

"In…your bag." His voice is hardly above a whisper.

Charley dives for his suitcase. Sure enough, tucked under the first layer of clothes is a dozen or so blood packets wrapped in an ice bag. Grabbing the lot of them, he runs back and kneels by his Master. He gently presses a packet to Rayflo's lips. The Vampire grasps it weakly, fangs flashing before sinking through the thin plastic. Blood bleeds out over the cover and rolls down onto his skin.

Once the Vampire starts he can't seem to stop, body crying out for the only liquid that can help it. He becomes lost in his frenzy, the blood the only thing he sees and knows. Charley knows how it feels but he's never seen his Master in such a state before. In his frenzy he accidently sinks his fangs straight through a packet and into the sensitive material of Charley's palm. He yelps and tears it away. He immediately forgives the starving Vampire and shoves the pain to the back of his mind, focusing on being much more careful when handing him the packages.

Only after draining ten whole packets does he finally fall back, exhausted and panting for breath.

The hole in his chest has started to close as well as the slit in his side. His face begins to relax and his breathing slows and calms down. Chris takes a deep breath and leans back.

There's blood everywhere, enough to make you think a murder went down, which one almost did. He doesn't even want to think about how the maids will react to this. He crawls to his feet and looks down at Rayflo, face relaxed and tired, eyes open only a crack. Despite the caked on blood he can see the wound has fully closed now, leaving behind a strange curly red wheal in its place.

"Cherry…"

The name he so very much despises but can't possible bring himself to hate right now rides out on a quite breath, far too weak for his liking.

He reaches down and sweeps the Vampire's damp black hair out of his eyes.

"Just go to sleep, Master." He mutters, cupping the Vampire's forehead with one hand. The warmth he feels is shocking. He's burning up with fever but that's common with silver poisoning. Rayflo's eyes droop wearily and close.

"Whatever you say…Chris."

Charley watches over him till he falls asleep. Once he has he takes a wash cloth and wipes the blood from his face and neck. As he draws the cloth over his exposed throat he feels a dull hunger pain stab at his stomach but he quickly banishes it.

Their roles feel reversed, as a child it was Rayflo who wiped away the filth but now it's him who must take care of his Master. Rayflo murmurs, and takes a deep, unhindered breath. He presses his cheek into Charley's hand. Charley lets the warmth radiate against him.

Suddenly anger flares inside him. How could this happen? Where did he go and what happened? It must have been a Vampire Hunter, who else would carry silver bullets? But who could it be? The Vatican hadn't mentioned any other commissions for this case. Could it be a vigilante taking the law and their safety into their own hands? It wouldn't be surprising with all the attacks around this area.

And why are all these horrible things keep happening lately? Why doesn't the dark Vampire just let him in, trust him and tell him what's going on? He's painfully reminded of the time he came home to his apartment after receiving a call from Minear late at night that something was wrong. He found Rayflo, refusing to tell him anything but terribly injured. He'll never forget that night, the man keeping him at arms length about it ever since, practically refusing to believe it ever happened.

He groans and rubs his forehead with the back of one bloody hand. Nothing is making sense. He's buried himself deeper in the Vampire world than he ever wanted to be. Nothing is easy or straight forward, not since Vassalord reared its ugly head among other things already going terribly wrong.

He absent mindedly glances at the hand Rayflo bit. He had never known when he installed his cyborg parts that they would integrate so thoroughly into the rest of his body. Even when the more sensitive and non-metal parts of his anatomy (such as the palms of his hands) are damaged they usually heal along with the rest of his normal flesh wounds. Obviously, when his fully metal arms are damaged or dented it doesn't heal but if the sensitive fibres that run through them are torn or ripped they'll heal as if they were muscle or flesh. He never understood why this happened but he's very grateful for it, it's saved his life more than once. But even though the puncture wounds are gone it feels like the pain is still there, a ghost of something lost. He hadn't had time to think about it when it happened but it hurt like hell.

Rayflo had never bit him before, he realized. In his century and a half of feeding off of him he had never once bit back.

Thinking of such things causes his hunger to return again. His eyes gravitate to Rayflo's exposed throat. The soft white flesh is irresistible, like heroine to an addict. The longer he stares the more he begins to notice the pulse of his jugular against his skin. Its something only a hungry Vampire would notice. The gentle rise and fall of each breath and the suddenly deafening sound of the blood rushing through his veins.

He suddenly realizes he's unconsciously bending over Rayflo, fangs coming nearer and nearer to his neck. He jerks himself away, like rising from a trance. He claps his hand over his mouth and can't help but feel disgusted and ashamed with himself. How can he even fathom feeding off him when he's unconscious and in such a state? He turns away, trying to clear his head but the smell of the whole room overwhelms him, burning his throat. He dashes to the window and sticks his head out into the night, taking in the glorious fresh air without the tiniest trace of blood.

_Shoot,_ he mutters to himself. _I should have had a drink earlier._

But then again, if he had fed that loss of blood really could have killed Rayflo. Once you run out of blood it's all over. But then again, maybe he wouldn't have gone out and none of this would have happened. Maybe he'd be alright, safe and unharmed, bugging him for an entire evening.

Then again, maybe not…

What does is matter, rehashing what has happened? Not even God can take back what has happened. He can only forgive your sins and teach you for next time. So what is the lesson here?

Charley sighs, trying to pull meaning from it all. In years gone by he could have instantly quoted what he was supposed to have learned and vowed never to do it again. But lately it's become harder and harder to figure out just what God would want him to do. It's like him and his faith are drifting apart. The thought strikes a cord of fear in him but not as much as he would have expected. That in itself scares him even more. Is he really that far gone?

He kneads his forehead, leaning it against the sill.

_Why can't anything be easy? Just one little thing, God, please!_

It's only easy when you either only play in the light or disappear in the dark, you can't have the best of both worlds, a small voice speaks in his head.

Doesn't he know it.

With his head somewhat clear he returns to tending Rayflo.

He manages to get the blood soaked clothing off of him and tosses them in the garbage can. They're really too far gone to be saved. He pulls the warm covers up around the sleeping man and tucks him in. His breathing is finally returning to normal, unlaboured and smooth. Charley gazes down at him, eyes lingering on his peaceful face and not his neck.

He doesn't want to leave him alone in case he may wake up and need him. Besides someone's got to ward away the cleaning staff, if not for hiding the mess for keeping Rayflo from leaping on them in a possibly still blood deprived state. With a lingering look he tears his eyes away. He's got to plan his next move and find out just what the hell is going on.

* * *

><p>Out in the pitch black night, in the shadows of an abandoned and ruined building tucked in the furthest reaches of the town's mountains, dark creatures writhe and crawl across the ground. The earth swarms, moving as if covered in worms. The moon sails out from behind the clouds. It illuminates and reflects sickly off the grossly pale grey skin of the Vampires as they gather in the grand hall of the ruins. The huge room is packed to the rafters with wretched Vampires. Fighting and snarling fills the room but none leave, only fight for their spots so they may stay.<p>

"Oh, what a turn out!" A high pitched, melodious voice pierces the din.

Every Vampire falls silent and turns to the newcomers. Those closest bow down, the action spreading till the entire room is kneeling or has hands placed over hearts. The small group of men and women stroll in non-chalantly. They don't look like these Vampires, bearing a healthy and whole look but they feel just as evil.

The man in front is beautiful, like an angel. His blond hair sweeps to the floor, bound in a loose braid.

"So, where do we start?" He purrs.

* * *

><p>And I'm done! Not the story but this chapter! This has been an intense chapter, sorry to dump so much on you in one go, seven Word pages! I had trouble writing some of the scenes and the thing grew like three pages in editing but I'm pretty happy with this and I hope you enjoy.<p>

And I gather this would be a wise idea to do before I become starved for ideas but if anybody has an idea or something they'd like to see come up please PM me, I'd love to hear any suggestions and would be willing to act on them if I can fit them in. Despite what it seems I do have a plot but it's not carved in stone.

I've written too much now already so signing out!


	4. Onslaught

The dark is warm and soft, hiding all flaws and perfections equally. A glaring bright white light hovers nearby, beckoning him gently. Rayflo looks to the light. It's too bright, he can never hope to go near it. His dark and tainted soul is stained obsidian black. But still the light calls to him.

_Master_

He takes a timid step towards the light. He is only an arms length away when something so cold it feels wet and slimy latches onto his wrists from behind.

_You can't go. You belong here…Addie._

A shiver runs up his spine and he knows he can't escape.

He's too tired to try this time.

He closes his eyes and lets the black abyss pull him down.

_Master!_

A hand flies out of the light and snatches his collar. The dark hisses in revulsion and hatred.

_Chris_

Another hand shoots out to grab him.

The darkness writhes and tires to drag him down but Chris holds on tight. Rayflo grasps at the hands, clinging to them for dear life.

But the darkness inevitably wins, their hands slipping apart and Rayflo is wrenched away.

_Chris!_

* * *

><p>"Chris!" Rayflo screams, lurching forward.<p>

"What? What!"

There's a bang from another room and Charley comes racing in.

"You're awake!"

He runs to his side. Rayflo seizes Charley's hand, the other flying to his chest where he was shot. He heaves long gasping breaths, his desperate heart racing. Charley clasps his hand and is surprised to find it trembling. He draws Rayflo to him, wrapping his arms protectively around him and laying his head against his shoulder. His breathing slows and calms and he stops shaking. He looks around, suddenly confused.

"I'm…back here." He says, voice echoing the obvious confusion on his face.

God, Charley hopes he hasn't lost his memory.

"You were shot. You came back and I brought you up here. I had to take the bullet out, remember?"

Rayflo releases Charley's hand tenderly drifts to the closed wound on his chest.

"Yeah, yeah I remember now." He says slowly, still looking around in a daze. The slightly glazed look in his eyes makes it seem like he's seeing things that aren't really there.

Charley tries to draw his attention back.

"Master, what happened?"

The groggy Vampire looks to him briefly before he turns away and stares at the wall.

"Have you ever been to a Vampire Bar?"

He shakes his head. He'd be too far gone if he ever let that happen.

"It's strange to find them in rural areas. The Vampire population in backwater towns like this are usually too small for such establishments. Not enough donors."

Charley frowns but holds his silence. The fact he can make jokes is a good sign he's not as damaged as he appears.

"There was one here though, down town surrounded by a lot of empty shops. There was lot Vampires there. I'd say over fifty of them. That's a lot for any one area of a large city let alone a small town. But they were all kind of unusual."

As Rayflo continues to explain what happened and the strange Vampires Charley's uneasiness grows.

"And what of these pills?"

Rayflo retrieves the now crusty and stiff pants out of the trash can and manages to wrestle the baggie from his pocket and tosses them to Charley.

He inspects the contents but doesn't recognize it as anything he's seen before.

"You don't know what these are? And yet you took them anyway?" Charley asks, amazed at the density of Vampire in front of him.

"Hey, I brought them for you, Mr. Cyborg-Vampire-Hunter. Maybe I shouldn't be so generous in your hunts anymore." He pouts.

Charley examines the pills, removing one. Miraculously, they're still dry and intact.

"Sacra, come here girl."

The dog pads over and Charley carefully holds the pill out for her to sniff. She barks and paws her nose. He accesses the data from her but isn't surprised as to what it reads. It's a drug, not one of those new blood tablets that have been appearing on the black market recently but something with synthetic and organic elements. He'll have to send it to a lab for further testing.

"So?" Rayflo asks as he materializes a new pair of pants and shirt draped over his shoulders.

"It's a drug but I don't know what. The man who gave it to you seemed off you say?"

Rayflo inspects the mark on his chest in the mirror, frowning at it as he touches it.

"'Off' is nice way to describe him. Brain dead would be more appropriate."

"Don't most drugs have no affect on Vampires?"

"Yeah, save a few but this one could probably throw us both for a loop or whatever it's supposed to do. They weren't normal Cherry. And despite being a Vampire we aren't immure to everything. I'd be willing to bet it on that drug."

Rayflo scoots closer to Charley and rests his chin on his shoulder.

"Hey, you're hungry, aren't you?"

Even though Charley attempts to bat him away Rayflo can feel his heart skip a beat then beat faster. He knows it's true and so does Charley. He's amazed at how well he's been holding it together, after all when he found him he was more blood than man it had seemed.

"Cherry deserves a reward for being such a good starving wolf." He chuckles

Charley sighs and bats again at his Master, fending him off.

"Master, you lost like two gallons of blood. You need to heal first."

Rayflo snorts.

"First time you've ever cared about my health. I can assure you though. I'm fine."

Charley looks at him. Just by looking he can tell he's not fine. His skin is still extremely pale and clammy looking but where his cheek touches his neck it's boiling hot. And that strange mark on his chest hasn't healed yet.

He's wondering himself where his hunger has gone but the minute he thinks about that it comes dancing back but for some odd reason its not as strong as it was only hours ago. Maybe just breathing in the smell of Rayflo's blood has somehow sated him. But either way if he's going to keep offering there's no way he can refuse forever.

And besides, he has a job to do right now.

Charley disappears into the bathroom for a minute. He retrieves a small vial of clear liquid carefully prepared an hour previously. He feels a stab of guilt as he soaks a wash cloth with the evil smelling liquid. Even for him garlic still smells a little toxic. Rayflo feels the deceptive spike in the air as Charley returns. It's the same feeling he often gets right before Charley attacks him. He eyes the cyborg warily as he comes towards the bed.

"Cherry…"

Charley suddenly lunges, grabbing both of Rayflo's wrists in one hand and pinning him to the bed with his body.

"Cherry! What are-!"

He holds the cloth over his mouth. The odour of garlic is vile and overwhelming. Rayflo struggles against Charley and tries to hold his breath but in his weakened state he's no match for the cyborg's strength. He knees him twice in the stomach but it's the equivalent of kicking a rock and produces about the same results. His lungs cry out for air and his flailing weakens him. Finally, he's forced to breathe. One microscopic breath is all it takes to send his head spinning. Rayflo's eyes widen and his hands fly to his throat but it's too late.

"Damn…it…Cherry." He slurs.

His eyes roll back in his head. The black pit of unconsciousness swallows him once more.

* * *

><p>Only when Charley is certain that Rayflo is unconscious does he release him.<p>

One of the little known facts about garlic is the anestitizing effect it has on Vampires. He'll be out for a full day. Charley discovered this during one of his attacks a couple years back when he tried using concentrated garlic fumes to slow the old Vampire down. Instead, Rayflo passed out and nearly fell from the second story of the mansion. The poor vassal was terrified that he'd killed him or knocked him into a coma. When Rayflo finally regained consciousness the following day he had awakened to a very frightened and stunned Charley.

He brushes a couple strands of hair out of Rayflo's eyes and gently caresses his face, calm and unmarked by worry lines.

But now that he doesn't have to worry about him he can go out and find out what the hell is happening in this town.

"Sorry, Master."

He is sorry but he justifies it with it being necessary. And it is necessary he tells himself.

As much as Rayflo mocked his vassal's profession he often participated in those tricky cases or ones where he knew the target Vampire. More often than not he followed Charley wherever he went. Even when it got too dangerous for him if he worried he'd show up.

And after what happened tonight there's little doubt that he'd let Charley go alone, he'd try to follow even in the daylight to look out for him. And that's too dangerous, especially when he's wounded and weak like this.

Rayflo loved to say how ridiculous and reckless Charley was but he sometimes wonders who the basket case _really_ is.

He grabs his sword, checks all of his weaponry before calling Sacra. She bounds to him then out the door.

Charley glances back one last time before leaving. Rayflo lies still, chest rising and falling gently with each breath. If he's lucky he'll make it back before he wakes up.

And then he knows there will be hell to pay.

* * *

><p>It doesn't take long to find the place. The streets are filled with people, they all look worried and scared. Very few stand close to the barricade the police have set up, preferring to hover nervously further away. Charley shows his license the Vatican issued to the obviously shaken cop who tries to stop him from crossing.<p>

"You're some kind of specialist?" He questions

Charley hesitates.

"Yes."

"Good Lord, we could use you. It's right over there."  
>He points to a windowless, bullet and claw mark ridden store front. The door is torn clean off its worn hinges.<p>

As he approaches the building a cop approaches him. He recognizes the man as Chief of the force here mentioned in his briefing before hand. The man, Carlos Abernathy, looks more than a little shaken.

"You must be the expert they sent?"

Charley nods again.

"Well, then come on."

He leads Charley through the tangle of cops, vans and paramedics. Everyone is more or less at a stand still, not quite sure what to do next. Especially if what Master said is true there's not much need for a paramedic here.

Abernathy stops in front of the building and turns to Charley.

"We came in the morning and found it like this. It's a bar that opened up little over a month ago and became quite seedy."

Charley had run a check on the history of Vampire attacks in the region and had come up with incredibly low numbers until recently of course when they had spiked dramatically. Only two Hunters had previously been assigned missions in this region in the past fifty years. Many more crimes had been reported in the last couple months, any of which could indicate a rise in criminal activity or could be caused by Vampires.

"Excuse me, sir but what sort of criminal activity goes on in a place like this?" Charley asks tersely.

Abernathy looks around nervously.

"This used to be a pretty quiet place, not too many nasty things going on. But recently it's all gone to hell in a hand basket. Strange things are happening. People are disappearing then reports come in that they were seen walking along the beach at night or heading into the woods, never to be seen again. More people are disappearing daily, well really I should say nightly. There's more crime then there has ever been murders, thefts, disappearances and drive by shootings. We're a regular big city here. Things have been going wrong for a long time now. I assume you've read the reports?"

Charley nods.

"It all started when the Bailey girl went missing two months ago. Ever since then people have been disappearing left, right and center. The attacks are always after dark. People don't go out at night anymore and if they do they're gone the next morning. The only ones brave enough to venture out are the drunkards and then they often stay at the bars till sunrise. We sent out an advisory a month ago forbidding anyone to be out past dark. The attacks stopped shortly after save the odd one who didn't listen. We haven't found a single body or even any evidence to where they could have disappeared to. They're just gone as far as anyone can tell. It's spiralled out of control. But I just don't understand how one more man is going to help fix this."

Charley suppresses a smile.

"I have special qualifications in this field, sir. I don't want to scare you but I would agree you might have a problem here. I only just arrived and I'm already aware of some very odd behaviours going on."

"Well, wait till you see this."

He leads Charley over to the building and ducks under the yellow tape. He follows him into the dark store. His eyes widen in absolute shock at what he sees.

The room doesn't look to be touched at all by the police. Bodies are scattered all across the store in various states. Some are even stacked rather unceremoniously on top of each other. Charley is surprised that where the sun spills in the bodies caught in its wake haven't turned to dust. He frowns. Even dead Vampire bodies turn to dust once exposed to the light. He kneels and runs his fingers over a bloody arm splayed in the sunlight. It doesn't change or crumble to dust. He moves the body, rolling it over onto its back. It's a woman, her chest covered in congealed blood from three horrifically large bullet holes. The flesh around the holes is charred and blackened like it burned right through her. Charley gently props open her mouth. Four abnormally large fangs protrude farther than the rest of her teeth. She's a Vampire for sure. Then why isn't she turning to dust?

"What are you looking for?" Abernathy asks.

"Nothing. Just a dead end hunch."

He turns his attention to the rest of the bodies. Blood has soaked into almost every surface. The place reeks of the caustic smell. Which is strange in itself though, Vampire blood shouldn't smell this bad. He would know, he drinks Rayflo's blood and it doesn't smell like this at all. Charley carefully picks his way around the bodies and through the dark room. He checks half a dozen of them, looking for fangs and the cause of death. It's pretty clear that every one of these Vampires died from bullet wounds or the subsequent silver poisoning. Out of curiosity he gently lifts the eyelids on one. The creepiest black eyes he's ever seen stare back. The entire eye is a cloudy black mess save a small ring of white on the outside which must be the schelera. It's far from normal, even for a Vampire. Rayflo was right when he said they were 'off.' He lets it drop back down and goes to inspect behind the bar. Jars have been blown off the shelves, spilling their red contents on the floor to congeal in hideous puddles. Bullets are imbedded all along the wall, like something from a mobster shoot-out movie. He hesitantly touches one, prying it loose. Its silver, the exact same as the one Master had. He pockets the small orb and moves onto the jars. Charley carefully removes an intact one from the shelf and sniffs the contents. He holds it out for Sacra to check too. Her data is immediately conveyed to him.

A child's blood. Type B.

He quickly replaces the jar and looks to Abernathy who is hovering nervously in the doorway.

"How many children have disappeared?"

"Twenty-five children under thirteen years old, seventeen teenagers and thirty-two adults."

The numbers are staggering. Charley is starting to wonder why no one was dispatched sooner.

"Was there any discrimination in gender?"

"None."

"Hmmmm." Is this the first time this has happened?" He gestures to the walls and bodies.

"I wish I could say 'yes' to that. This is becoming so damn common. Shoot-outs that is. People are real spooked around here. We've been getting a lot of calls recently about 'posses' raiding places believed to be in league with this Underground business. That why a lot of shops are shut down. We've got men running around with rifles at night shooting places like this up hoping to kill some murderer but they end up killing innocent people and get themselves killed. And some of our more outspoken community members have 'disappeared' after a bad remark here or there. We've got the locals freaking out and then whatever else is freaking out back. It's not a good thing."

"Have you ID'd any of these people?"

"Seven are locals, the rest are uncertain but I haven't seen them around. Doesn't mean they aren't local but when you live in a place like this there are only so many faces. But it would have to be some bullet to do that to them." He says, pointing at a particularity silver charred body."

"There's a lot of corrosive chemicals readily available on the market that can burn through human flesh. So, this was a raid by some locals? This bar belonged to some criminals or what?"

"Yeah, nothing good ever went on here, drugs mostly but who knows? We never could get a man to infiltrate. They all disappeared. They could tell if you weren't one of them. We lost two good men who tried to infiltrate. Disappeared without a trace."

That makes sense, Vampires can tell thee difference between their own kind and humans almost instantly. It's definitely pointing to Vampires though not your average kind.

"This was their base of operations?"

Somehow Charley is sceptical this is it, especially if there is so many missing  
>people…unless they're burying them in the walls like in Dilupo. But this place smells like rot and death anyway, he can't tell now without tearing the walls down.<p>

"No, there's been rumours of a…a 'nest' of sorts. There used to be a resort in the mountains an hour out of town. It's been closed for a decade now but recently people driving along the mountain pass have said they saw people down in the valley near the resort. And not just a few, like dozens at one time. The rumour got started a while back now and no one goes up there any more, save the suicidal."  
>"Have you sent anyone to investigate?"<p>

"Yes, took near the whole damn police force up there in an armoured truck just to be safe. We scouted the whole place out at mid-day. Didn't find a trace of anything up there."

"Then they were just rumours?"

"We're not sure. Since we did the sweep people are still reporting seeing more people up there. And that's why you're here now. We don't know what to do about it anymore."

Charley frowns again, mulling it all over.

"This is getting very unusual. What's the population of this town?"

"A little over 15,000 though 5,000 of that is people who drive in from the surrounding area."

"How many of these kidnappers or murders, do you think there are?"

He shrugs and widens his eyes.

"I'd think it would have to be a lot with the scale of these disappearances but we can't find _anything_ so I can't give you any kind of number. We've got a lot of missing people and not enough evidence."

Charley scans the room again. Like Master said, there's around fifty here, which that's abnormally high. Could these Vampires be living up at this resort and coming down here to hunt? Or is this just a fraction of what's going on here? Or maybe this is it and now there is only a few left.

Nothing but an onsite inspection will truly give him any insight into what is happening.

"Keep this place shut off. I'll call for a forensics team to come here and study this." He says as he flips out his phone.

"Can you give me directions to this resort?"

* * *

><p>The dark weight of unconsciousness holds Rayflo down like a mountain stacked on top of him. He struggles to regain consciousness, fighting the cloud hanging over his mind. The stench of garlic lingers in the air like a dead corpse. With great difficulty he manages to pry his eyes open, blinking like crazy.<p>

The world slowly comes back into focus. The soft orange glow of the lamp fills the room. It takes a few minutes of staring blankly at the ceiling, blinking rapidly to clear the fog from his mind. When he recalls what happened he curses.

"Damn Cherry!"

He struggles to sit up, clutching his pounding head.

"What time is it?" He groans.

He claws his way over to the nightstand and fumbles to bring the clock where he can see it.

6:30 pm!

He tries to leap up but ends up crashing to the floor.

He's been out of it for over twelve hours! His mind races as he scrambles to unsteady feet and rushes through the small hotel room, banging into the walls as he goes. He hopes to find Charley somewhere, anywhere, even hiding as long as its here. But that's just a pipe dream and he knows it. Deep down inside him he knows he's in danger. When he can't find him his heart sinks.

Why did he have to do this?

The sun will just be going down now he figures.

There's not much time.

He creeps to the window, switching the lights off. No glow shows beneath the curtain so he peeks out. The sun has just sunk beneath the ocean's orange tinted waves.

"Goddamn it Cherry!"

There's nothing for it but to go.

"Goddamn Cherry, drugging me for heaven's sake!"

His head and chest throb as he sweeps aside the curtains and heaves up the window. His body begins to de-materialize, black bats launching themselves out into the night. He feels a stab of pain but ignores it. Now is not the time to be lying around.

Damn it Cherry!

* * *

><p>After a couple more hours of questioning other police and the locals Charley decides to head for the resort. All leads are pointing there. Everyone he has talked to has a story about some missing neighbour, relative or family member. The creepier stories though were seeing said missing person walking through the streets and no matter how much they tried to reason with them they would run away. At least half said that they had run into the woods. All leads are pointing this way.<p>

Like the officer said, the trip takes a little over an hour driving in the van up a road that's well maintained till it hits the high tree line. It then becomes little better than a mud trail. The van lurches and leaps, jumping over jutting rocks and sloughing into pot holes continuously. Charley is only going fifteen mph. Sacra barks and whines as the van lurches yet again, throwing her against the back of the seat.

"It's okay girl, its okay." He grits as he fights to keep control of the van.

The resort is just within sight when Charley pulls the van to the side of the road and steps out. Sacra leaps out behind him and sits, waiting for his command.

Charley stalks up to the abandoned resort. The ancient place is surrounded by a tall brick wall that has seen better days. The building itself looks worse than derelict, it's destroyed. The entire western wall is sagging like a deflated balloon and the garden has taken complete control of the grounds, weeds and grasses are five feet tall and nasty spiked vines scale the dirty gray walls. Windows have been smashed out then haphazardly boarded over. Even the trees are growing into the building, invading it with long branches. Nobody has lived here for a long time. It's a perfect, stereotypical Vampire hideout. Immortal beings never seem to change in Charley's opinion. But then again as one of these 'immortal beings,' neither is he.

He battles through the savage lawn, ready at any second for something to leap out of the high grass. Surprisingly, the main double doors are still attached but hacked apart with claw gouges. They creak something terrible as he opens them. It doesn't look like he'll get ot use the element of surprise here.

The second Charley steps over the threshold he knows something is wrong. He tenses up, ready for a fight and Sacra lowers her head, giving a low and threatening growl. Charley can feel they're not alone but the trashed lobby reveals no one. There are lots of places to hide, behind toppled and torn furniture to pitted doorways that lead to nothing but darkness.

Sword at the ready and prepared to electrocute the first thing that moves, Charley quietly and carefully begins to walk by the first set of doors leading to the front desk. He doesn't go near but peers into the inky blackness as he slips past. He's been to creepy places before but this place is just awful. The air reeks of age but nothing is covered in dust.

Three doors later he's at the front desk without any trouble. To his right is a grand staircase and two elevators leading up and to his left is another set of double doors but they're propped open a tad.

Its pitch black inside.

Charley feels his stomach do a flip as he knows what he's got to do. For some reason just the thought of entering is galling. And that in itself is ridiculous. He's been to far more terrifying and scarier places but this building has a horrible sense about it.

Sacra sniffs deeply, creeping closer to the entrance.

The foreboding presence suddenly intensifies tenfold. He's tempted right then and there to turn around and run.

It's that bad.

He's never felt something so hideous, just a feeling is all but it's so strong. But he can't just run, no he can't run for heaven's sake.

"Come girl." He whispers.

Quietly as he can to pads up to the door and slips through, sword first. Even in the pitch black Charley can see quite well.

It's a grand dining hall but it's ruined. Abandoned tables and chairs are torn, broken up and cast aside. The windows are boarded up so that not even an iota of light can enter. The reflective dots on Sacra's paws glow softly in the dark. The second he steps into the room the worst sense of dread and impending doom washes over him.

He doesn't know why but he gets the sudden impression he should look up. He doesn't fight it but follows it. Instincts can save your life.

He looks up.

Every inch of the rafters is crammed with dark shadowy shapes twisting and writhing in the black. A deep guttural hissing sound echoes throughout the room.

Sacra starts barking viciously, jumping up and down to snap at them. One of the shadows bears a mouth full of fangs at the mutt. A spot of blood drips to the ground in front of Charley. The shapes and shadows begin to hiss and screech, jostling and clawing at the rafters and each other. One leaps down to a collapsed beam ten feet above the ground and peers at Charley. It's a human, or a Vampire but none that he recognizes. Its deep soulless eyes simply stare, uncomprehendingly at him. Long claws gouge the wood it perches on, fangs protruding violently from between grey lips. Several others jump down to get a closer look too. Their clothes hang loosely from their emaciated bodies, making their eyes even larger.

He's almost paralyzed, the horror show in front of him not quite registering in his brain. This is hell.

But why haven't they attacked yet?

Charley doesn't care to stick around and find out. Slowly but quick enough not to give them a chance to react he reaches for a grenade in his pocket. One of the Vampires must sense something is wrong because an ear piercing shriek reverberates throughout the complex. The Vampires cry out and begin to leap down.

"Run, Sacra!"

To Be Continued…


	5. Raging Flames

Charley backs up, his hand slipping into his coat. He grasps the rough metal surface of a grenade and draws it out. He hurls it into the thick of the Vampires and tears off through the door, legs pounding as fast as they can. He's never ran from a Vampire hunt before but in these circumstances he's willing to bend the rules. He's not prepared for this. This would take a team of Vampire hunters to exterminate.

Is this a set up? Coming here is pure suicide with this many Vampires. Good God, how can there be so many? He's never seen this many in all his life. What is going on here?

Blood pounds in his ears as he runs across the lobby. Vampires begin pouring from the dining hall like a flood of flesh. Suddenly the floor shudders and a massive boom rocks the entire building. The force throws Charley to the ground with a cry. The ceiling shakes and debris rain down. Tongues of fire engulf the room and spit out the door. The Vampires scream, their attention averted from him. Charley scrambles to his feet, snatching Sacra up and runs.

The place is ablaze now, fire crawling over the walls rapidly. He glances back.

Vampire bodies litter the floor, tossed out of the dining room by the explosion like balls of yarn in its wake. Those still alive are pulling themselves together, eyes refocusing on Charley. Even if he miraculously killed half of them in that explosion there would still be twice too many for him to handle.

"This is too much!" He shouts into the roar of the flames.

He's almost there, the front door beckoning him like the gates of heaven.

A blur whizzes by him. It springs against the door, slamming it shut with a thunderous bang. Charley slides to a stop as the Vampire leaps at him, mouth of fangs bared to take out his throat.

Sacra barks and leaps from his arms, launching herself at the attacker. The two collide mid-air and crash to the ground, clawing and scratching each other in their mad struggle.

"Sacra!"

The dog latches her teeth onto the Vampire's throat and bites down hard, That's all Charley has time to see before he has his hands full of Vampires.

Two female Vampires lunge, claws extended. They scream, nearly splitting his ear drums in half with the gut wrenching sound. He lashes out with his sword and limbs go flying. Blood splatters the walls as the Vampires cry out and fall to the ground, writhing in agony. But they are only the beginning. A dozen more Vampires are right behind them. Charley ducks and swings his sword wildly but to no avail. Without any regard they fling themselves forward. The sword hacks and cuts flesh, blood staining it before he even gets the chance to back out the door. One diseased monster latches onto his ankle with bony hands and bites down.

Charley cries out as he tumbles back into the door frame then out the door onto the hard stone steps. Three more Vampires pounce on him savagely. One wrenches his sword from his grip, screaming as the silver melts his hands. He heaves the weapon away.

Charley fights back with his fists, grabbing and beating at the Vampires. He throws them and breaks bones when he can't. But no matter how much he struggles or how many he maims and tosses aside more pile on top. Claws scratch his skin and tear at his clothes. Suddenly one Vampire plunges her hand into his shoulder, razor nails splicing metal from steel. He screams, releasing the electricity field running through his cyborg parts. One thousand volts of unhindered power race through the Vampires frail bodies. They seize up and freeze instantly then crumple on top of him.

He sweeps the Vampires off him and gets to his feet, already running. He clutches his arm, practically holding the limb to his body otherwise it would fall off. The pain isn't as bad as he feared but he puts that off to being numbed by adrenaline and just not enough time to focus on it.

Sacra barks, a scared and wounded sound. Charley would have to kill a part of his soul to leave her behind. And even though it might be suicidal he stops and pivots, dodging a hoard of confused Vampires as he races back to the building. He drops another grenade just as the Vampires turn around to follow him. The bomb goes off, the Vampires disappearing in a flash and a hail of dirt and grass.

Sacra is tearing through the high grass across the grounds, five Vampires right behind her. One of her back legs is mangled and oozes grease. Her injury barley keeps her ahead of the Vampires nimble bodies. The searing pain in Charley's shoulder completely fades into the back drop as more adrenaline floods his system.

"Hey!" He shouts as he sprints towards them.

The Vampires turn looking for a better meal than some steel mutt. Charley reaches for the diamond cutter's sheath at his waist and pulls the deadly blade out. They don't see the danger until its too late. He swings it violently at his opponents. In one stroke it takes out two of the Vampires, tearing holes in their bony chests. They collapse backwards into their comrades who scream in terror and fling the corpses away. They completely forget about Sacra and flee, not wishing to meet the same fate. Charley takes a deep breathe, and races to Sacra.

_How the hell am I going to get out of this one?_ He wonders dizzily.

* * *

><p>Rayflo flies as fast as he can, desperately searching for that feeling, that vague feeling that belongs to Charley. He whips above the town, little bat eyes roaming everywhere, looking and sensing.<p>

_For God's sake!_ He mutters in his heads. _Everything around here looks the same!_

As hopelessness starts to wash over him something strange catches his attention. A sharp sensation, like someone jabbing you in the ribs with a pointy pencil draws his eyes to a large dilapidated building tucked miles away in the woods. He changes direction just as a loud boom pierces the quiet night. Flames shoot out of the building's windows and through the roof in a barely contained explosion. They briefly light up the night time woods. Strange, almost inhuman cries echo out from there, followed by flashes of light and more booms and screams.

_Cherry. Who else could make such a fuss?_

He angles his hundreds of little bat wings up and speeds forward as fast as he can

* * *

><p>Two Vampires lunge. Their claws sink into his shoulders, hitting bone.<p>

Charley cries out and wheels around. He reaches back and tears one off him, throwing it to the ground with a loud crunch. The other shrieks and sinks its fangs into his neck. The bone crushing bite forces the breath from his lungs. He tries to shout out but the fangs have pierced his wind pipe. Blood runs down his throat with a sickly gurgle and spills out over his skin. His lungs burn as he tries to pry the Vampire off himself but he can't, his strength flagging under the iron grip.

As his lungs fill with blood he weakens, grasping feebly at the Vampire latched on his back. His vision fades in and out and he feels himself falling.

_Dear God_…

A black flash suddenly crosses his vision and the weight is lifted from his shoulders instantaneously. He collapses to the ground, choking and heaving up blood. Only once he's coughed up two lungful and he can breathe again does he looks up.

"Master…" He whispers hoarsely.

Rayflo's back is to him, strong and tall above him. His wavy hair blows beguilingly in the breeze. Words can not express how happy he is to see him.

A whip like cord materializes in Rayflo's hand and he snaps it at the oncoming Vampires with deadly, time-honed precision. It wraps around one Vampire's wrist like a jungle snake catching its prey. One flick of his own wrist and the entire limb is ripped from its socket and flung in the air, blood flowing like gory streamers. It all happens so quick it takes the Vampire a few seconds to process what has happened. He collapses in a pool of his own blood, squirming in silent agony.

The crush of Vampires stop, warily accessing their new rival. They can sense he isn't to be taken lightly.

Charley drags himself to his feet and stumbles back. He staunches the blood flowing over his shoulders with one hand as his neck slowly heals and the other keeps his arm attached.

_Where's Sacra?_ He wonders.

He hears her bark desperately from the other side of the building. Mustering what little strength he can find he rushes towards the sound. He scoops up his discarded sword and disappears around the corner.

Rayflo is too busy dealing with the hoard of crazy Vampires to notice him leave. These one are even more deranged and sickly than the ones he saw before. The bar dwellers at least could pass for normal humans aside from their hideous eyes but these people could have walked off the set of the latest horror movie. Their grey skin and mangled teeth are almost too out of place for a modern Vampire. But despite their atrocious appearance they are wary, staying out of range of his whip. They aren't vapid and aloof like the bar dwellers were either, far from it. They are very much present, waiting for the slightest opening to attack. And there are a goddamn lot of them.

"Cherry, are you okay?"

When he gets no response fear strikes through him. He quickly glances back to see…nothing.

"Where the hell-?"

A snarl pulls him back to the immediate problem. He side steps, whip flashing. The wire snaps around the Vampire's neck and with one tight tug his head goes flying back to join his comrades. Most of them ignore it but some of them near where it lands bicker briefly over who gets to drain the blood.

Rayflo cringes.

These are _not_ normal Vampires. This is not normal. He wouldn't put it past any Vampire to feed from a headless corpse (he's done it) but like this?

Rayflo growls threateningly and cracks his whip again. He's got to find Charley, not behead creepy Vampires all night.

* * *

><p>Two Vampires, a male and female are harassing the injured dog, not even intent on trying to kill it. The bleeding and half torn apart animal tries to limp away but one of her tormenters leaps in front of her and pushes her back with serrated claws. Blood runs over her metal legs, gaping cuts criss-cross her back. One of her connecters has been severed and her ear dangles by its wires. She snarls and snaps at her attackers but can't escape their savage beatings.<p>

"Sacra! Sacra!"

Charley runs as fast as he can, pain thrumming through his limbs but he pushes on, focusing on his goal. He's more hobbling than truly running but its enough to catch the Vampires' attention.

The female Vampire turns and smiles a bloody grin, scraggly brown hair a curtain of gore. She swings around and drops to all clawed fours. She rips across the ground with startling speed.

Charley shouts and swings his sword. But his coordination is shot. She easily dodges his pathetic attack and tackles him full on. They crash and roll on the ground. She pegs his sword arm down with her foot and locks her hands around his throat. He chokes, something in his neck snapping brutally loud. The pain blinds him and in his panic he kicks the Vampire square in the chest, flinging her off him. He gasps for breath, struggling to draw precious air. Between that, his arm and his battered body the pain is almost too much for him…but he can't quit yet. The female Vampire recovers quickly and snarls. Without mercy she pounces again, knocking Charley face first into the ground. Sacra barks savagely as she sees the attack. She races across the lawn as fast as she can to her owner. The other Vampire takes off after her. He springs up and lands on top of her with a thud. She yips and whimpers before her instincts kick in and she twists around, sinking her teeth into his side. He screams and ties to pry the beast off but she only clamps down harder. Blood runs through her teeth and stains the metal of her face bronze. Her anger overrides her fear and pain. She forces the Vampire to the ground. He has no interest in this fight anymore or eating her, he only wants to get away. He kicks Sacra, beating her back. She lets go and the Vampire flees, not wanting her attention anymore.

She closes the gap to Charley.

The female sees her coming. Releasing Charley momentarily, she spins around and simply back hands the dog with a frail looking but ridiculously strong arm. Sacra crashes into a gnarly tree trunk and slumps to the ground, still and silent.

"NO!"

Charley uses the last of his strength to point his remaining arm in the Vampire's direction and hit the switch. His hand launches out of his wrist and runs the woman through just as she turns around. He retracts the mechanical appendage just as quickly, slumping to the ground. She drops like a sack of potatoes in a bloody heap on the ground.

As Charley lies there all the pain he forgot comes raging back like a ten ton truck landing on top of him. He gasps, trembling uncontrollably, chilled to the bone. Every single muscle, bone and tendon in his body burns and aches like he's never felt before. Each breath sears his lungs. Where blood runs over his skin it burns like freezing ice. Even the slightest turn of his head momentarily blinds him with pain. Through foggy eyes he sees Sacra lying on her side ten feet away. She's not moving.

His breath catches in his throat as he rolls over and crawls to his hands and knees with amazing difficulty. Once he gets there and the pain subsides he knows there's no way he's getting to his feet. He can barley stay on all fours without shaking.

One step at a time, hand over hand and a godawful lot of pain and choking on blood later does he finally manage to reach Sacra.

Charley practically falls on top of her, dragging her into his arms and shielding her with his body. He can feel his body shutting down, the assault too much for him.

Especially now.

He doesn't care anymore, doesn't want to hurt and struggle. All he wants to do is be with someone. He weakly clutches Sacra, praying for the Lord his soul to keep. He tried, he tried his best his whole life to follow God. He tried so hard but he never could quite make it. Never could make it. No matter what he did to his body or how he restrained his mind and disciplined himself he never could be fully pure.

He closes his eyes, expecting the next thing he'll see is the gates of hell.

And he's sorry, sorry for every mean thing he's ever said to Master, every mean thought and hurtful thing he's done. Words can't describe it. For all the times Rayflo has annoyed, irritated and nearly tormented him to his second death there has been just as many wonderful moments, one's where they didn't need words to understand each other.

He lived for those moments.

He's so sorry he'll never get to be there for one of those moments again.

But even in the end when he's feeling so much pain there's a spark of pure warmth in his heart.

He came for him.

With that thought lingering he closes his eyes and rests.

* * *

><p>Rayflo pelts around the building, screeching to a halt at the scene before him. He takes everything in with fear laden eyes. Charley is collapsed on the ground, unmoving in a growing pool of red blood. Vampires are lurking around, debating if it's safe to approach. He's not moving, Rayflo can't even see the rise and fall of his chest when he should.<p>

"No…no oh, no no…"

He runs, each step echoing like thunder in his ears as he approaches the crumpled body. He prays to God and whatever else is out there that it isn't a corpse. He wouldn't survive that. The first thing he notices as he kneels down is the blood. So much blood. The startling amount terrifies him. It's too much. He drops to his knees and wraps his arms around the limp body, pulling him into his lap. Sacra suddenly emerges from out of nowhere. She reaches up and licks his cheek, whining as she peers up at Rayflo. Her eyes are pleading with him.

Rayflo feels like he's going to cry.

_He risked his life for the dumb dog. _

He looks down into Charley's blood splattered and terribly pale face. He checks his breathing to find he's still alive but just barely. His heart is hardly beating.

"Chris. Chris, wake up." He murmurs, trying to keep a bridle on his quavering voice.

There's no response.

Against his will his heart starts to beat faster and panic threatens to overwhelm him.

"No, no I don't have time for that." He swipes defensively at his eyes.

A deafening _crunch_ and an ungodly shriek snaps his head up. The roof on the former resort completely implodes, taking half of the walls with it in a fiery cascade. The crashing and splintering of wood echoes for miles. But that ungodly sound stays in his head like a song you can't get rid of. It's sounds like something he's heard before. But more importantly Rayflo notices the circle of Vampires forming quickly but quietly. The flickering flames highlight them like ghouls. He fights the prickle of tears forming in his eyes and puts himself into escape mode.

He scoops the man up and throws him as gently as possible over his shoulder given the circumstances and runs like all hell. Despite popular belief, Vampires are not above running when necessary. And when they run, they really do run. The mutated Vampires are fast, pounding across the lawn on all fours like a wave of grey death but they aren't quite fast enough. Sacra struggles to keep up with Rayflo but she manages it. The two bolt through the gates and disappear into the woods like phantoms.

* * *

><p>The Vampires stop just short of leaving the grounds. Some climb up on top of the brick wall and peer into the darkness where their prey fled. One Vampire looks back at the collapsed wreck that was once their home. Fear strikes through her as she realizes exactly what it means.<p>

"My my, you've managed to cause quite the mess now haven't you? Not very good guard dogs at all." A pleasant voice rides the wind.

Every single Vampire hears it and immediately duck their heads, looking for the source of it.

Perched non-chalantly in the crook of a tree branch growing just inside the grounds is a man.

But not truly a man.

Human's would mistake him for an angel, silver braid blowing gently in the wind and his petite face almost womanly. Though he seems so casual the Vampires know better. Hidden beneath his coy smile and pretty face is a raging anger that won't be quenched anytime soon if they have failed.

He drops gracefully to the ground and straightens up, pulling his cloak around him.

"Rather chilly here wouldn't you agree?" He turns and asks his companion pleasantly.

"Grow some balls would you? It's balmy."

A woman emerges from the woods, her mane of straight black hair bound with what appears to be a bone clasp. A piece of human spinal column to be exact. She's garbed in long black gear that blends her so well with the woods she appears to be just a floating head and set of hands. The snide look on her face indicates she is not enjoying this.

"You're a pleasure as always, Estelle." Barry mumbles and rolls his eyes.

"You'd think you'd enjoy the company of your own kind as much as you hang out with Vampires."

"You'd think." Barry muses, rolling his eyes again.

He can't stand Estelle, even for a Succubus she's intolerable.

"Hey! You two." Barry says, waving a hand at two hunched over men in the back of the pack.

"Would you _please_ go check to see if the, um...child is safe?"

The men bow their heads quickly and race back to the flaming building. They pick their way through the rubble and disappear.

"If its dead I swear to Satan, Barry, I'll kill them." She growls.

"What would be the point? We'd have to kill all of them and that's really counter productive."

"Then we'll just have to find out who the hell caused this and put them through hell. Then kill them." Estelle says almost causally.

"I had the same idea." Barry murmurs, imagining just what he and Estelle would do if they ever caught the perpetrator.

The two Vampires he sent away slink back. The others part to let them through.

"Well?" Barry asks, his irritation starting to grow.

One of them looks up, his face devastated. His mouth gapes but no words come out.

"Where is it?" Estelle hisses.

She snags him by the collar and drags him up to her level, red eyes meeting his black in a clash of intensity.

His lips quiver and he starts shaking violently.

"Answer me you stupid animal!"

"I-I-It's…dead."

Estelle glares into the flames and debris then back at her captive Vampire.

"And no one thought to rescue it? What happened?" She rages.

The poor Vampire near faints under her piercing gaze.

"A-A Hunter came. He burned i-i-it down. C-couldn't think… didn't know w-what to do." He stutters.

"Satan's claws, Barry! Can't you make a decent slave?" She shouts at the demon as she throws the Vampire to the ground.

"If it was a Hunter they should have been able to deal with it." He growls back.

His anger flares up as he steps forward to exact some stringent punishment for the devastating failure when a familiar scent catches his attention. Barry chuckles, raising his face to the wind. It's faint but clear enough for his sharp senses.

"Well, well, we have company." He mutters.

He looks to Estelle with calm and placid eyes.

"It was a very troublesome Hunter who came here. I'm not surprised they were a bunch of bumbling idiots." Barry laughs. "And that means…dear Addie is not far behind him."

A nasty smile crosses the Incubus's face. He stifles a rather demonic laugh.

Estelle looks at him sharply but puts it off to him being completely insane.

"We'll have to start over again. You can't sense it can you?" Her voice is almost regretful.

"No." Barry says in mock mourn. "The poor thing is dead. We'll have to make another. Apparently Ragnor and Rowena aren't having much luck either."

Estelle rubs her temples with one long nailed hand.

"This is harder than I thought it would be."

"Well, we better get back to work."

He's actually not too keen on the thought now.

"Since it's _your_ fault it died you should do the heavy lifting, _Barry_." Estelle growls vehemently and stalks back into the dark of the forest.

Barry sighs, suppressing his frustration. If it were his choice he would not be here with this woman engaging in such a futile endeavour. He would be stalking Addie and that insufferable Hunter. Women are such a hassle. But he doesn't really have a choice this time, now does he?

He chuckles to himself. Though once the job is done he'll have all the time in the world to catch Addie. And this time it will be **permanent**.

He turns to the cowering Vampires and waves his hand dismissively.  
>"You can go. Hide where you can. There are two or three houses that way. Infect them and stay there until I tell you to come out."<p>

"Yes, my Lord!" They chorus like a band of peasants from medieval times. The modern world lacked such charm. Its one of the few things Barry misses.

Even though he had been prepared to put them through hell for their failure he wasn't in the mood once he felt that familiar presence. It's a good sign, he tells himself. But it could also prove a problem if not dealt with properly and delicately.

But he'll take care of it.

He smiles again, running his tongue over his lips.

He can almost taste his blood now…

To Be Continued…


End file.
